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Homeless man helps family find autistic son

Goya Dmytryshchak

AN AUTISTIC man has been reunited with his family after running away to find three Big Brother contestants on the Gold Coast.

Christopher Tillett left home in Melbourne on Friday, telling his family he was catching a bus to a shopping centre. But he secretly had plans to seek out Charne, Angie and Stacey in the Big Brother house and took about $80, his iPad and a phone in his suitcase.

"It wasn't a spur-of-the-minute thing, he had it planned," his father said. "He's mad on Big Brother. He watches every episode."

Mr Tillett's money took him only as far as Sydney. Disembarking at Sydney's Kings Cross, he was terrified until a homeless man took him under his wing and they took a bus to a Salvation Army shelter.

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Bendigo police rang Mr Tillett's phone and the homeless man answered, telling police his name and where he was taking Mr Tillett.

Police said Mr Tillett was found safe and well at 1.30pm on Saturday and was flown back to Melbourne.